WHEN Donna Monk’s first child was born it was clear her career with a top investment bank was not going to be compatible.

Like thousands of women every year she had to make the difficult decision to step back from her job in order to look after her baby.

But having worked since leaving school to begin a Youth Training Scheme Donna set about looking for a new venture suitable to family life.

Now mum to Darcie, ten, and Oliver, six, Donna went on to run her own Jamie Oliver cookware franchise, organising and hosting parties in people’s homes.

She honed her skills running her own company and when that venture came to an end 18 months ago she began to look around for something new that would fit in with her children.

She says with options limited for working mums who want to fit in around their children and school commitments, this sort of business is perfect as it is possible to work your own hours and run your own schedule.

This is just one of the things that first attracted her to MyShowcase, a make-up and beauty VIP beauty shopping service launched by Nancy Cruickshank, who also founded Handbag.com, and her friend Kate Shapland, a beauty expert.

Donna says: “We sell 45 independent beauty brands and many have won awards.

“It is skincare, bath, beauty and fragrance. Some of them you may have heard of, they might already have a shelf in a big department store, but not necessarily someone who is promoting the range like some of the larger companies.

“Nancy had the idea after realising that often going into large department stores can be intimidating for women and it can lead to them coming out with a bag of products they did not want, because they were not sure what they needed in the first place.

“So she combined that with wanting to help independent brands,” says Donna, who lives on Mersea Island.

MyShowcase then has a number of stylists, like Donna, who set up their own businesses bringing the products to customers.

But they are able to approach this in their own way.

“Some people have just an online presence and they might post videos showing how to use the make-up and certain products, and others use social networking really successfully.

“I prefer to organise showcases for customers, either at their place of work or at home. But I might also just do a one-to-one with someone too.

“I really like being able to meet people face to face and I absolutely love the idea of this and how it works so well.

“It is empowering women because it is run by women, for women and showcasing the talents of brands that are mainly by women,” says Donna who is also Area Stylist Director for MyShowcase.

This means she has around 20 ladies in her team who all run their own MyShowcase businesses independently in their own way, supported, trained and mentored by Donna.

There is even a bit of star power in there with former popstar turned television presenter Louise Redknapp’s botanical make-up range, Wild About Beauty, among those handpicked by MyShowcase.

Donna, 43, says : “Kate Shapland was the beauty editor for the Daily Telegraph so she knows what she is doing and she is very, very particular about what she chooses to be part of the range.”

It is all a far cry from gruelling days on the trading desk for an American investment bank in London, a job Donna admits she loved.

“Not going back after I had Darcie was a really difficult decision.

“I had worked my way up having left school to go into the travel industry in London and then getting a job working as a desk assistant at the bank before moving up to working on the trading desk.

“I had not been to university and I was working alongside guys who were graduates.

“There were very few women working there at the time and it was hugely pressured.

“And while there was a job for me there after maternity leave it was clear to me working full-time, sometimes 7am to 7pm at night, would not be compatible with having a young family.

“It was a hard decision as the pay reflected the long hours,” she admits.

The family moved from London back to Donna’s home town of West Mersea, where she had previously lived until she was 20, and she launched the Jamie Oliver business.

“I have always worked, since I was 16, so I always wanted to be doing something. I just wanted it to fit in with my children and other than getting a job in a school, launching my own business was the best option.

“With MyShowcase, although it is work, sometimes it does not feel like it because I just enjoy doing it so much and I have everything the children are doing, their school plays and events, all written in my diary and I fit in around them,” she adds.

She says being able to access beauty products in this way can also be vital for women who may have lost their confidence and need a bit of support and advice.

“Sometimes confidence can be low after having children, for example, and you might need something to give you a boost and I love being able to help them feel better about themselves,” adds Donna.

n To find out more about Myshowcase contact Donna on 07824 389453 or visit www.myshowcase.com/stylist/donna_monk